dearamericafandomcom-20200215-history
List of When Christmas Comes Again characters
on the cover of When Christmas Comes Again]]All of the characters that appear in When Christmas Comes Again. Main characters Simone Spencer Simone MercierWhen Christmas Comes Again, Beth Seidel Levine, page 73 Spencer (born January 1, 1900)When Christmas Comes Again, Beth Seidel Levine, page 55 was the daughter of Brigitte and Mr. Spencer. She had an elder brother named William, who married Caroline Lawson. Simone had a privileged adolescence growing up in New York City. After the United States entered the Great War, Simone joined the Signal Corps and became a "Hello Girl", a switchboard operator. On the way over to France, she befriended Alice Kealy. The two were stationed in Chaumont, where Simone was reunited with Will and met Sam Cates. Supporting characters Alice Kealy Alice KealyWhen Christmas Comes Again, Beth Seidel Levine, page 80 (died August 14, 1918)When Christmas Comes Again, Beth Seidel Levine, page 109 was a switchboard operator, one of the "Hello Girls", during the Great War. She was from Boston where she lived with her parents and five brothers. Her parents came from Ireland. In March 1918, she was befriended by a fellow operator, Simone Spencer. They were both stationed in Chaumont, France. Alice passed away in August 1918 due to influenza. Shortly before her death, she asked Simone to write a letter to her family. Years later, Simone visited Alice's family in Boston. She spent a whole day with them, sharing pictures and stories of Alice. Brigitte Spencer BrigitteWhen Christmas Comes Again, Beth Seidel Levine, page 7 Spencer (née Mercier) was the mother of William and Simone. She met her American husband, while he was vacationing in Paris where her parents, Jeanette and Christian, owned a pâtisserie. After marrying him, she moved to New York City and opened a hat shop called "Brigitte". She insisted that her children speak French at home, such as referring to her as "Maman". Brigitte was nervous when both her children went to war, but she trusted their decision. In later life, she and her husband moved to Paris, where they were buried next to her parents. Francie Walker Frances "Francie" Brennan (née Walker) was an aspiring Suffragette and Simone's best friend. Simone described Francie as her opposite, having "very little restraint and even less tact". Her mother generally disapproved of her activities, leading Francie to spend more time with Simone and her mother. After graduating high school, she became involved in the the women's suffrage movement. She gave Simone an angel figurine before she left for the Western Front. In her adulthood, Francie moved to California to become an actress. There she met Thomas Brennan, an acquaintance of Simone's. They eventually married. Sam Cates SamuelWhen Christmas Comes Again, Beth Seidel Levine, page 126 "Sam" Cates was an American soldier and friend of Will. He grew up on the Lower East Side, where his parents died in a fire. Afterwards, Sam was placed in an orphanage at 88 Orchard Street. As an adult, he enlisted in the army during Word War I. In June 1918, Sam met Will's sister Simone, while they were stationed in France. He was later badly injured, which required his leg to be amputated. In New York, Simone found him at her father's hospital. He did not contact anyone since he was ashamed of his injury. Simone and Sam married in May 1920. They had three children. Sam worked for Will, before attending Harvard Law School and later became an advocate for immigrants. They lived out their last years in Paris. Mr. Spencer Mr. Spencer was the husband of Brigitte, and father of William and Simone. He met his wife in a pâtisserie in Paris. His parents disapproved of the match, wishing he had chosen a girl from "the high society of New York City". In his adulthood, he was a physician at the Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled. His father was disappointed that he decided not to inherit the family business. Both of his children went to the Western Front during World War I. He and his wife later returned to Paris to live out the rest of their lives. Will Spencer William "Will" Spencer (born c. 1896)When Christmas Comes Again, Beth Seidel Levine, page 13 was the son of Brigitte and Mr. Spencer, and older brother Simone. He surprised his family by marrying "society" girl, Caroline Lawson. When the Great War broke out, he enlisted in the army and was shipped out in June 1917. In June 1918, he was reunited with his sister when she was stationed in Chaumont. Will was sent home, after suffering a concussion in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. In the 1920s, he took over his grandfather's real estate business and loss most of his money in the stock market crash of 1929. Will and Caroline later moved with their children to the suburbs. Minor characters *'Caroline Spencer' (née Lawson) was the wife of William. She came from a wealthy family, leading Simone to call her "society girl extraordinaire." Simone disliked her "society" ways at first, but they eventually became close friends. She and Will later had children. They moved to the suburbs, after suffering several hardships during the 1920s and 1930s. *'Christian and Jeanette Mercier' were Brigitte Spencer. They owned and operated a pâtisserie in Paris until their deaths. Their granddaughter visited their graves in 1918. *'Cordelia' was a woman who trained with Simone to be a switchboard operator. She was from North Dakota and had sixteen siblings. Cordelia was friendly with Simone, unlike the other girls who ignored her. *'Grace Banker' was the chief operator of Simone's unit. She was once a instructor for AT&T and graduated from Barnard College. Ms. Banker later chose Simone to go with her to the front lines. *'Juliana Gardner' was Simone's classmate who hosted a party in June 1917. Her family lived on Fifth Avenue. Simone thought she was "kind of a bore", while Sam Cates described her as "entitled." *'Katherine' was an English woman trained in physical therapy. She helped Thomas Brennan in New York. After the war, Simone became her assistant and was later inspired to become a physical therapist herself. *'Max' was the chauffeur of the Spencer family. *'Sally' was a servant working for the Spencer family. The family cared a great deal about her, especially Brigitte and Simone who enjoyed spending time with her. She was from Ireland. *'Thomas Brennan' (alias Thomas Stewart) was a patient. He ran away to join the army and was injured during the war. Thomas refused to talk for some time, before he opened up to Simone. She convinced him to contact his parents. After recovering, he moved to Hollywood to become an actor. Thomas was successful, eventually getting a starring role. He married Francie Walker. *'Mr. and Mrs. Spencer' were the parents of Simone's father. She called them "the Grandparents" in her diary. Mrs. Spencer, being "stuck in her old-time ways", disliked her daughter-in-law, while Mr. Spencer was continually disappointed by their son not following in his footsteps. He was relieved when Will decided to inherit his real estate business. *'Mrs. Walker' was the mother of Francie. She disapproved of her daughter's actions and humor. Her highest hope was for Francie to marry well. References Category:A to Z Category:Characters Category:Dear America Category:Dear America characters Category:When Christmas Comes Again Category:When Christmas Comes Again characters